Concluding your book well is a challenge. It’s one thing to start off with gusto, another thing to make it through a potentially drooping middle, and still another to finish with flair.
Missing the Mark
One example of a book …
The Help
First Line Winners and Losers
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
“You had me at the first line.” Every author dreams of hearing readers proclaim that the first line of a book grabbed them by the lapels and wouldn’t let them go. Rest assured that not only …
Avoiding Sagging Middles
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Shakespeare wrote, “There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.” How true when it comes to writing. You might start your manuscript off with a bang and know that the conclusion is solid. But …
How to Keep Up with What Readers Want Without Going Daffy
Blogger: Michelle Ule
What Writers Can Learn From Kodak
Part 2 of 2
Rachelle Gardner’s excellent blogs earlier this week raised a question in my mind: How does a writer know what readers want and thereby remain marketable?
1. Keep …
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Good News: For a Change
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Location: Books & Such Central Valley Office, CA
I don’t know about you but I’m sick of hearing bad news. Yes, the publishing industry is changing but it’s an exciting time to be a writer. This week …
The Inside Track: Freshness
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Location: Books & Such Central Valley Office, CA
You’ve heard it over and over. Agents get a staggering number of queries. If I were a writer trying to catch a break this information might be enough to …
Best of the Blog 2009: Confessions of a Kindle Devotee
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Location: Books & Such Central Valley, California Office
Yesterday, while waiting for the doctor, I had my Kindle out, reading a manuscript. The doctor had to stop and play with it before we could get down to …
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Best of the Blog 2009: Why a Book Cover Matters Anyway
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such Main Office
What do you think is a book cover’s main function: Read this blog to get Seth Godin’s opinion.
What makes a cover so clever, so iconic, that you have to …
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The Riches of Idiom and Simile
Blogger: Etta Wilson
Location: Books & Such, Nashville Office
Weather: Cool and leaves falling
Like so many others in this country (and soon to be in 29 more countries), I’m reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Since I lived in …
The Best Books for Book Clubs
Blogger: Rachel Zurakowski
Location: On my way to the ACFW conference, Denver, Colo.
It should come as no surprise that influential books are the best books for book clubs. When an author writes a book that speaks to the reader’s …